Storia;

“Il Principe”, The Prince Cesare Rubini, a triestino, came to Milano following his mentor Adolfo Bogoncelli becoming player and coach for Olimpia. A terrific physical specimen, Rubini has been one of the greatest Italian sportsmen of All-Time. While he was collecting basketball championships, he was obtaining the same results in waterpolo. In 1947 Rubini was the silver medal at the basketball European championship in Geneva and still in 1948 he won the gold medal at the London Olympics in waterpolo. Diabolically capable to play two sports at the same time, he was named into the Hall of Fame of both (in the 1952 Olympics he won another medal, leading the team he captained to the bronze).

Still, Olimpia is the club, even more than the National team, identifying his sports history. In Milano, he won as a player and coach five championships including five in a row

Cesare Rubini won 10 titles as Olimpia’s coach including the 1966 Champions Cup

Gianfranco Pieri,the genius of the playmaking, has been one of the greatest guard in Italy

During the Rubini years, the myth of the “red Shoes” was born: he found out shoes of that color in America and he imported them to Italy. The team he coached was phenomenal: he had Gianfranco Pieri who he asked to trade for after Pieri scored 34 points against Milano playing for Trieste, he also had Sandro Riminucci, who scored 77 points ina game once, he had Ricky Pagani, Nane Vianello, Poalo Vittori and finally Massimo Masini, Renzo Bariviera, Giulio Iellini, Pino Brumatti in the 70′s when – it happened in 1973 – he left the bench to become Olimpia’s general manager completing his historical career, the one leading him to the National team in the end, side by side with his trusted top lieutenant Sandro Gamba. The duo won the European gold in 1983.